According to research, children’s ears may be too sensitive for automated hand dryers

According to research, automated hand dryers can negatively impact your child's hearing.

I was at the cinema yesterday and once the film was finished, I popped into the toilet. As I approached the hand dryers, I noticed a little girl pop on a pair of ear defenders before using the dryer. It was the first time I had seen a child do this but it really didn't surprise me, in fact I'm surprised that it's the first time that I've seen a child do this. Earlier this year 13-year-old, Nora Keegan did research into the effects that hand dryers have on the ears of young children. Nora noticed at a young age that her ears would start ringing every time she was around someone using a hand dryer. Soon afterwards she began investigating why exactly this occurred. Keegan, whose paper has been published in the Oxford Academic found that most hand dryers operate at levels that are too high for children, causing their hearing damage. It's something that up until I read Nora's research had never crossed my mind before but it completely makes sense. Many parents will put on ear defenders when bringing their children to loud environments like concerts but we often forget the day to day things that may pose health risks to our children. Thanks to clever young girls like Nora though we are becoming more aware of the things that as adults we take for granted but pose negative effects to our children. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if more and more children start wearing ear defenders on a regular basis.